The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-11-17
Carolina's Phosphates.
Correspondence AUGUSTA Chronicle.


ANDERSON, S. G., Nov. 1O.-The
commission of three Senators and fye
Representatives appointed by the Legis.
lature of this State to investigate the
status of the States phosphate interest,
of which Senator Murray, of this County,
is chairman, has recently been diligently
at work upon the subject assigned them !;
and your correspondent finding the
chairman at home during recess of the
commission, called upon him for his
views upon the subject, which is one of
great interest to the people of this State.
Senator Murray replied that he could not
with propriety give any public expires.
sion to his opinions on the subject, as the
commission had not yet agreed upon it's
report to the Legislature, aud it might be
decided not to give any public expression
to the sense of the commission until the
Legislature meets. he stated, however,
that he would be pleased to communicate
any facts which had transpired in the
investigation, and began by stating that
there are two classes of phosphate min
ers. For convenience sake, he would
designate one class as water miners and
the other as land miners. The water
miners are engaged in mining phosphate
rock from the navigable streams, which
are the territory of the State. For the
privilege of 80 mining, they pay to the
State a royalty of one dollar per ton on
each ton of crude phosphate rock they
get from such territory. The land min
ers are engaged in mining similar rock
from large tracts of land in which this
rock abounds. The lands are owned by
private persons or corporations and the
State has no proprietary interest in them
and gets no royalty on the rock mined
from them. During the past year the
State has received two hundred and
eight thousand dollars (S208, 8,000) from
royalty paid by the water miners. At
the last session of the Legislature there
was proposition to raise the royalty on
the rock dug from the States territory to
two dollars per ton. On this proposition
this commission was appointed to exam.
inc and report as to the status of the
States phosphate interest, with power to
send for persons and papers and take tes.
timony under oath, with a view of ascer.
tanning as near as possible the truth as to
the phosphate question. For years past
there has been periodical agitation of
the proposition to raise the States roy
atty. The land miners have contended
that it could be done without crippling
the water miners, while the latter have
asserted that the industry could not
stand it. All sorts of rumors were in
circulation as to the profits of water
mining-particularly as to the profits of
the Coosaw Company, which is the
largest water mining company. The
commission met in Charleston and deter.
mined to go to the bottom of the ques-
ton, if possible, and began by an inspec-
ton of both the land and water mining,
preparatory to the taking of testimony.
The land mines were first examined,
and the water mining was inspected. A
very large amount of capital is invested
in each Of these classes, and the scale of
operations of these companies is vastly
greater than is generally supposed. The
phosphate deposits, both in land and
water territory, are very extensive, and,
at the rate at which they have been con.
sumed for the past ten years, will last for
considerably more than century-per.
haps two or three of them.
The price of dried rock in this market
is from four to four and half dollars
per ton. The testimony showed that the
Charleston mining company, the largest
of the land companies, has been mining
its rock at an expense for everything,
except interest on investment, of 1887.
100 per ton. They have very rich
deposit and own some twenty-seven
square miles of land, supposed to contain
phosphate rock in available quantities
and depths on at least one third of it.
This land averages from 1000 to 100
tous of rock per acre on the territory
worked. The other land owners are
working at varying prices, running up to
near five dollars per ton. A number of
them have been drivenout of business by
the cost of digging and the low price of
work. The Coosaw Company, the largest
water company, as / have said, is mining
at cost of S4.25.100 per ton, including
the States royalty of one dollar. The
other water companies have been mining
at costs running from that sum up to
$3.50 100 per ton. It will, therefore, be
seen that there is more variance in the
cost of land than water mining. This is
explained by the fact that some lands are
much richer than others and there is
great difference in the scale upon which
land mining is conducted. The compa.
MES mining in water all select the best
territory, and with one or two exceptions
the small miners have been driven from
the business by the low price of rock.
The water mining may be said to be done
by six companies, five OF
whom have very large plant investments.
One of the most wonderful dredging ma.
chimes in the world is the dredge invented
oy MIR. F. Brotherhood, which consists of
nhain of huckets canahla under favor. |